This Is the President is a strategy simulation adventure game that places players in the role of a newly elected U.S. president with a criminal past. The core premise revolves around navigating the demands of office while pursuing lifetime immunity through constitutional changes. Set against a backdrop of political intrigue and satire, the experience blends management tasks with narrative decision-making on PC.
Gameplay
Players oversee both official presidential responsibilities and behind-the-scenes operations to maintain control. Core loops involve balancing approval ratings, cash reserves, and a team of staff members who handle various tasks. Actions include delivering speeches, issuing executive orders, addressing daily crises, conducting press conferences, and managing communications like tweets to shape public perception.
Staff management forms a central pillar, where hiring specialists such as lobbyists, hackers, lawyers, and other operatives allows for tackling problems through persuasion, blackmail, or other means. Decisions carry consequences that affect team loyalty and overall progress toward the main objective of ratifying Amendment 28. The narrative branches based on choices, leading to outcomes that range from absurd to serious while requiring ongoing cleanup of emerging issues.
Mechanics emphasize resource allocation and risk assessment, with elements like regulating industries or engaging international figures to advance personal goals. The satirical tone highlights the tension between public duties and private motivations without relying on traditional combat or resource gathering systems found in broader strategy titles.
Game Modes
The game operates as a single-player experience centered on an interactive narrative campaign. There are no separate multiplayer modes or distinct competitive formats. Progression unfolds through a series of scenarios and choices that build toward the central goal of securing lifelong immunity, with player decisions determining the path and ending.
Within this structure, the focus remains on managing the presidency across multiple in-game periods, incorporating both routine administrative tasks and high-stakes interventions. The absence of additional modes keeps the emphasis on story branches and management simulation rather than varied play styles or online interactions.
Narrative and Decision Systems
Story elements draw from the player's background as a former shady businessman, creating conflicts with media, political rivals, and foreign entities. Choices influence staff dynamics, where loyalty can be maintained through incentives or leverage tied to personal secrets. This creates a web of dependencies that players must navigate to avoid setbacks.
Branching paths emerge from how crises are resolved, whether through legal channels or more direct methods. The system rewards strategic thinking in balancing short-term gains with long-term objectives, often resulting in unexpected escalations that reflect the game's mix of thriller and satire elements.
Is It Worth Playing?
This Is the President suits players interested in narrative-driven management simulations with political themes and satirical undertones. The experience delivers a focused single-player campaign built around choice consequences and staff oversight, appealing to those who enjoy tracking resources like approval and cash while making morally flexible decisions.
Reception has been mixed, with user feedback highlighting the humor and narrative engagement alongside criticisms of lighter strategic depth. The game launched in 2021 and remains available as a complete title without ongoing seasonal content or major expansions. Those drawn to story-heavy adventures that simulate high-level decision-making in a fictional presidential setting may find value in its approach, while players seeking deeper tactical systems or multiplayer elements might look elsewhere.
